More than Infrastructure, Access to the Outdoors Is Our Future

Comments prepared for the 2025 Alaska Trails Annual Conference

Alaska’s trails are not a luxury. They are essential infrastructure. They connect us to work, to nature, to food, to wellness, to each other—and increasingly, to economic opportunity.

With sweeping federal cuts to land management and recreation programs, and the State of Alaska facing a daunting budget deficit, it’s tempting to view outdoor recreation as something “we’ll get to later.” But in reality, investing in trails is one of the most cost-effective ways we can meet multiple urgent needs—public health, youth development, food access, and local economic resilience.

We can’t afford NOT to invest in trails.

The Stakes

Since the start of 2025, Alaska has experienced:

• Freezes or redirection of federal grants like RTP, LWCF, and RERC;

• Layoffs of dozens of USFS, NPS, BLM, and USFWS staff, halting maintenance and planning;

• Delays to projects like the Tongass Forest Plan Revision, Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy, and Alaska Long Trail Feasibility Study;

• Trail groups losing funding, technical assistance, and field crews.

  
  

At the same time, Alaskans are relying on the outdoors more than ever for their mental health, physical activity, cultural identity, subsistence access, and small business survival.

A Unified Call to Action

Alaska Outdoor Alliance invites trail builders, stewards, land managers, and community leaders to align around a statewide Trail Policy & Funding Framework that should include actions like these:

1. Reframes Trails as Essential Infrastructure. Trails deserve recognition and inclusion in public health, community resilience, and economic development frameworks—not just recreation plans.

2. Builds Big-Tent Coalitions Across Sectors. From tribal governments and tourism operators to veterans programs and health coalitions, we must work across silos to broaden both impact and funding access.

3. Tells the Story with Data and Heart. Alaska’s outdoor recreation economy contributes $3.1 billion annually. But the real power lies in the stories—of youth employment, elder access, climate-safe infrastructure, and small-town vitality.

4. Leverages Existing State Programs to Support Trails. Rather than asking for new general funds in a tight fiscal climate, we must:

   • Align trail goals with existing investments in transportation, health, tourism, and workforce development

   • Push for better cross-agency coordination and fund “braiding” that includes outdoor infrastructure

   • Help route technical assistance and mini-grants through the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation to local partners on the ground.

   • 
     

What Comes Next

Let’s speak with one voice—to legislators, to local leaders, and to philanthropic partners.

Let’s say together: “Trails are not optional. Trails are infrastructure. Trails are our future.”

AOA stands ready to support those who want to join this movement—with tools, data, messaging revisions, and partnership. Together, we can keep Alaska’s trail legacy alive and thriving.